QUESNEL

town, south-central British Columbia, Canada. It lies at the confluence of the Quesnel and Fraser rivers, 411 miles (661 km) north of Vancouver. The river and townsite (Quesnellemouth until 1864) were named for Jules Maurice Quesnelle, who accompanied Simon Fraser's exploring party in 1808. The settlement grew during the Cariboo gold rush of 1862. It is now the service centre for an extensive lumbering, farming, and mining area, and its main industrial establishment is a plywood plant. Tourism has developed mainly because of improved road conditions and the restoration of the historic Barkerville gold-mining area to the east. Quesnel also serves as a base for anglers and big-game hunters. Inc. village, 1928; town, 1958. Pop. (1991) 8,179.